Raby, Merseyside

Raby (locally /ˈreɪbi/) is a hamlet on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Administratively it is located within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral as part of Clatterbridge Ward. The settlement is within the parliamentary constituency of Wirral South.

Not to be confused with Raby Mere.

Raby
Hamlet
The Wheatsheaf Inn, The Green, Raby
Raby Location within Merseyside
Population	100 (2001 Census)[1]
OS grid reference	SJ309799
• London	175 mi (282 km)[2] SE
Metropolitan borough	Wirral
Metropolitan county	Merseyside
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WIRRAL
Postcode district	CH63
Dialling code	0151
ISO 3166 code	GB-WRL
Police	Merseyside
Fire	Merseyside
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Wirral South

Raby is situated approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) to the north east of the town of Neston and close to Merseyside's boundary with Cheshire. The hamlet of Raby Mere is located 3.6 km (2.2 mi) to the east.

At the time of the United Kingdom Census 2001, Raby had a total population of 100.[1]

History

The name is of Viking origin, deriving from the Old Norse Ra-byr, meaning 'boundary settlement'.[3] It is believed to be so named because it lay close to the boundary which existed in the 10th and 11th centuries between the Norse colony in Wirral to the north, centred on Thingwall, and Anglo-Saxon Mercia to the south.[4]

Raby was a township in Neston Parish of the Wirral Hundred with a population of 131 in 1801, 195 in 1851, 350 in 1901 and 308 in 1951.[5]

Geography

Raby is in the central part of the Wirral Peninsula, approximately 12.5 km (7.8 mi) south-south-east of the Irish Sea at Leasowe Lighthouse, 3.5 km (2.2 mi) east-north-east of the Dee Estuary at Parkgate and about 5.5 km (3.4 mi) west of the River Mersey at Eastham. The hamlet is situated at an elevation of around 50 m (160 ft) above sea level.[6]

Community

Raby is a rural community, comprising a few houses, two farms and an old, thatched public house, the 'Wheatsheaf', which is well known in the locality. The pub is owned by the Leverhulme Estate, which owns much land locally.

Raby, along with the neighbouring villages of Brimstage and Thornton Hough, are within an Area of Special Landscape Value, a protective designation to preserve the character and appearance of the area. This is part of the Wirral Unitary Development Plan of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral.[7]

The parish church is All Saints Church, Thornton Hough. The local primary school is Thornton Hough Primary.

Transport

Road

Raby is accessible from the A540 to the south-west, the B5151 to the east and the B5136 to the north.

Bus

Services operating in the Raby Area as of 2015:

Number	Route	Operator	Days of operation
85	Clatterbridge Hospital - Heswall	Avon Buses	Monday - Saturday

Rail

The nearest station to Raby is Bromborough railway station, about 3.5 km (2.2 mi) to the east. This station is on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network, with frequent services to Liverpool, Chester and Ellesmere Port.

See also

• Listed buildings in Raby, Merseyside

References

1. "Wirral 2001 Census: Raby". Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
2. "Coordinate Distance Calculator". boulter.com. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
3. Sulley, Philip (1889). The Hundred Of Wirral.
4. Roberts, Stephen J. (2002). A History of Wirral. The History Press Ltd. ISBN 978-1-86077-512-3.
5. "Raby". GENUKI UK & Ireland Genealogy. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
6. "SRTM & Ordnance Survey Elevation Data in PHP". Retrieved 1 November 2016.
7. "Brimstage, Raby & Thornton Hough: A Strategy for Change Management" (PDF). Thornton Hough Community Trust. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2007.

Bibliography

• Mortimer, William Williams (1847). The History of the Hundred of Wirral. London: Whittaker & Co. pp244-245.

External links